


Jabberwocky

by inquisitor_tohru



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alice Makes a Friend, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Local Android Family Can Have Nice Things, Pets, Post-Canon, Slice of Life, Treat, Turing Fest 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:15:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24882154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inquisitor_tohru/pseuds/inquisitor_tohru
Summary: It may have taken a little while, but Kara, Luther, and Alice are adjusting to their new life.
Relationships: Kara & Alice Williams (Detroit: Become Human), Kara/Luther (Detroit: Become Human)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 30
Collections: Turing Fest 2020





	Jabberwocky

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kameiko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kameiko/gifts).



Things weren't perfect, but they were _good._ For the first time since they met, Kara was able to nestle into the crook of Lucas' arm without the lingering fear of police storming into their home. Alice was happily watching television with a friend, who was excitedly explaining about a year's worth of character development and plot. Even after a sympathetic human employee had allowed them to safely cross the border, it had taken a long time for any of them to be comfortable letting other people into their lives. So they'd got a cat.

He was a ginger tabby, regal looking and utterly fascinating. Kara still marvelled at the way he always landed on his feet, even after stumbling, and how he used his whiskers to navigate his environment. He seemed to know exactly when to keep his distance and when to approach Alice, letting her nuzzle into his soft fur and scratch behind his pointed ears. Cats were truly wonderful creatures. Alice had called him Jabberwocky, after a character in a book she and Luther had been reading together. It had amused him, and when Kara had accessed the book for herself, she could certainly see why.

"Can we go outside to play?" Alice asked when the episode finished, her eyes big and hopeful. Kara glanced out of the window.

"Of course. But it looks like rain, so make sure to wear your coats. Ellie, you can borrow a pair of Alice's wellingtons if you like." Ellie giggled.

"It's lucky we're the same size!" Once they were out of the door and into the back garden, Luther chuckled while Kara leaned forward with her head in her hands. Of _course_ human children wouldn't all have the same size feet, but it was so easy to slip up on the little details.

"She probably just thinks Alice mentioned they take the same size," Luther said softly, brushing her hair out of her face with long, careful fingers. He was right, and even in the very worst case scenario...well, after some light reconnaissance, they'd found that public sentiment towards androids in the city was reasonably positive and that authorities were not discriminating against their synthetic citizens - Kara had discovered only a handful of violent incidents, and in each case the human perpetrators had been persecuted or at _least_ taken in for questioning.

But she still hadn't found the right time to _tell_ Alice. Of course, the girl had no ill feelings towards androids, but _so_ much had been going on since the day she shot her 'father'. Burdening a child with an identity crisis on top of _everything else_ that had gone down just didn't seem right.

"I wonder if she knows, sometimes," she said, shuffling even closer to Luther. He pressed his lips to her forehead in a gentle kiss.

"She might. She's a smart kid - observant. And if she asks, we'll tell her the truth."

"We will." This was something they'd agreed upon on their journey into the city while Alice napped, the three of them cramped into a bus seat meant for two people around Kara's height and build, and definitely not someone as large as Luther. Neither of them wanted to _hide_ the truth from her - it was just that it was a truth that would be difficult for an android with adult programming to deal with, let alone a child. Not that programming was everything, as they had all proved time and time again. Kara often thought of North, as well as Ripple and Echo - the other two Traci models she'd met - who had _always_ despised the roles they were 'programmed' for. Kara had disliked Todd, but she had never hated caring for Alice. Sometimes she wondered if Luther had enjoyed working as a labourer before he was saddled with Zlatko - he didn't remember much about it. Now he worked part-time as a veterinary assistant, which was how the abandoned Jabberwocky had come into their possession, while Kara was working towards a formal teaching and childcare qualification. Things were _good._

She startled at a high-pitched shriek coming from the garden, but was relieved to see Alice and Ellie splashing about in shallow puddles. Jabberwocky stretched, his body almost impossibly long, before hopping down from the windowsill and trotting over to the couch, curling up on Luther's lap for what had to be his tenth nap of the day.

"Guess I'm stuck here now." He gestured first to Jabberwocky and then to Kara's head on his shoulder, smiling. He had the most beautiful smile that, in spite of everything he'd been through with Zlatko, always reached his eyes. "What a _shame."_

"I can't believe Jabberwocky stole _my_ idea," Kara said, pretending to glare at the orange ball of fluff. It wasn't convincing - he was just too adorable. It broke her heart to think that his previous owner had never returned for him, simply leaving him with the vet, overfed to the point that he barely fit in his cage and had chronic joint pain. Luckily for Jabberwocky, Luther had a bit of a knack for picking up strays and waifs.

"Typical," he laughed, giving the stirring Jabberwocky a gentle scratch behind the ears, then under his chin. " _So_ ungrateful." He sank even further back into the plush, grey couch, almost becoming a part of it - but they'd made sure that they would never be treated as furniture, as _objects_ again. And neither would Alice, or any other android.

They were _free_ , they were _alive_ , and they were a _family_.


End file.
